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H. P. SMITH.

WIRE CUTTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2|. 19m.

Patented July 15, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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'rmx COLUMBIA PLANOOHAPII co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

H. P. SMITH.

WIRE CUTTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZI. 1918.

1 09,664. Patented July 15, 1919.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 a 2 Z Q Q v Z J S Y WITNESSES: INVENTOR C vr7 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER P. SMITH, OF APPLETON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO F. EDWARD SAEGKER AND ONE-THIRD TO HERMAN Gr. SAECKER, BOTH 0F APPLETON, WIS- CONSIN.

WIRE-CUTTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1919.

Orginal application filed February 5, 1918, Serial No. 215,500. Divided and this application filed June 21, 1918. Serial No. 241,166.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Cutting Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to improvements in means for cutting wire into predetermined lengths, the same being particularly adapted for use in connection with machines for making hairpins as illustrated in my copending application Serial No. 215,500, filed February 5, 1918.

As pointed out in said application it is particularly desirable in hairpin forming machines, to cut the wire into predetermined lengths in such a manner that the ends of said lengths will be free from any irregularities or roughness which might tend to catch the users hair. The provision of an improved means for accomplishing this is the principal aim of the present invention.

With this general object in view. the invention resides in certain peculiarities of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which Will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a sectional view through the table of the hairpin forming machine with the invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cutting device with parts broken away and in section.

Fig. 3 is an elevationalend view of the in vention showing the same attached to the table of a hairpin forming machine.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the cutting blade and adjacent members of the device, and

Fig. 5: is a view similar to Fig. 4; of a modified form in which the cutting member is carried by the movable gripping member.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 designates a horizontally positioned table over which a wire W is fed and intermittently operated upon by the several hairpin forming mechanisms illustrated in the above referred to co-pending application. As previ ously stated great difiiculty has been experienced in retaining the ends or cut-ofi' parts of the wire smooth or without irregular places which might catch in the users hair. In the present invention this is accomplished by the provision of a blade 2 having a substantially V-shaped cutting edge the faces of which are concave. Thus if a wire is rolled over a stationary blade of this type, and at the same time forced against the same, or if a movable blade of such shape is forced against the rolling wire it will be severed and the resulting ends will be substantially hemispherical or rounded as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The blade 2 may be either secured in the bottom of a transversely disposed channeled member 3 positioned on the table 1 and the wire rolled thereover by means of a sliding gripping member 4 or the blade may be carried by the member 4: itself. This gripping member 4: is movable transversely of the wire by the engagement of one end of an intermediately pivoted lever 5 therewith, said lever 5 in turn being actuated by a cam face formed on a cam plate or disk 6. This cam plate is rotatable with a main driven shaft 7 positioned longitudinally of the table 1. A

The end of the gripping member 4.- which engages the wire is normally spaced above the bottom of the channeled member 3 by means of a spring 8, one end of which engages an ear 9 formed on the gripping member and the' other end contacts with the bifurcated end of a stem 10 pivoted to a relatively stationary guide member 11. The end of the member f which engages the wire WV is provided with a cam face 4' which, when said bar is moved toward the wire and the blade 2, engages with the end of the guide member 11 whereby said end of the bar is moved toward the bottom of the channeled member 3.

Thus, longitudinal shifting of the movabl gripping member 4: toward the wire W by means of the lever 5 will cause the wire to be rolled toward and over the blade 2 and simultaneously with this movement said wire will 'be forcibly engaged and pressed against the latter and out. It will be further seen, as best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, that the height of the knife above the bottom of the channeled member 3 which forms a gripping member in conjunction with the member 4 is less than the diameter of the wire thus allowing the wire positioned upon the opposite sides of the blade to be firmly gripped between the movable and stationary member while it is being rolled across the knife and cut.

In order to permit vertical adjustment of the guide member 11 the same is pivoted in a channeled bracket 12 and is provided with an extension 11 having threaded therein a i which it is forced against a stop 17. The

wire W is fed to a the cutting mechanism through the guide le so that the portion to be severed will always be in correct position to permit efiective operation of the mechanism. During the operation of the cutting device the wire W is rolled and the guide 14: shifted to 'compensate for this movement. After the wire has been forced over the knife and a cut effected the end disposed in the guide member 14, which is to be fed to the cutting device,will be returned to its normal position by the spring 16 during the inoperativeness of the cutting device.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that a simple economical cutting device has" been constructed which is efficient in operation and while I have shown and illustrated one method in which the invention might be carried out it will be readily appreciated that various minor changes and details of construction might be made by those skilled in the art without dearting from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim as new is 1. In a machine of the class described, a wire cutting, device comprising a stationary blade, a movable gripping member having a cam face, a guide member adapted to engage the cam face of the movable gripping member to cause the same to engage the wire and roll it over the blade to effect a cutting, and means for urging the gripping member toward'the guide member.

2. In a machine of the class described, a wire cutting device comprising a stationary cutting blade, a movable gripping member having a cam face, a guide member adapted to engage the cam face of the movable gripping member, means for actuating saidgripping member toward the guide member, and means for adjusting the guide member to regulate the tension of the movable member upon the wire.

3. In a machine of the class described, a wire cutting device comprising a stationary cutting blade, a movable gripping member having a cam face, a guide member adapted to engage the cam face of the movable gripping member, means for actuating said gripping member toward the guide member, means for adjusting the guide member to regulate the tension ofthe movable member upon the wire, and means for returning the movable gripping-member toits normal position.

4. In a machine of the class described, a

wire cutting device comprisinga cuttingblade, wire gripping members adapted to rotate the wire across said blade, and a yieldable wire guide adapted to guide the wire to the cutting device and yield upon .the rolling movement of the wire.

5. A wire cutting device including opposed members, a cutting blade on one of saidmembers, means for moving one of said members wlth respect to the other to procure rolling movement of the wlre WltlITQSPBCb to the blade, a channeled wire guide recipro-.

cable in the substantial direction-ofrolling movement of the wire, and means yieldably urging said guide in one direction of movement whereby to direct wire in position for initial rolling engagement.

6. A wire cutting device including a base member, a guide spaced from the basemember, a shiftable member movablebetweenthe guide and base member and having a cam portion engageablewith. the guide, a blade carriedby one of said members and engageable with wire between the members for rolling said wire against theother member and cutting it, an extension on the shiftable member, a spring coacting With the guide member and the extension for urging said shifting member outwardly and toward the guide member, and means for moving the shifting member inwardly to cut the wire.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hav hereunto set my hand at Appleton, in the countyof Outagamie and State of Wisconsin.

HOMER I. SMITH.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. i i 

